The Wolf Footsteps Adventure offers Wolf Cub Scouts a unique opportunity to explore and honor their family’s faith traditions, fostering an appreciation for the diverse ways in which people express reverence. This journey encourages Scouts to connect deeply with their own cultural and spiritual backgrounds while also understanding and respecting the beliefs of others.
Through discussions with family members about faith traditions and participating in related activities, Wolves gain insights into the values that shape their community and personal lives. This adventure emphasizes the importance of family involvement, making it a shared experience that enriches the Scout’s understanding of their own heritage.
One key component of the Wolf Footsteps Adventure involves attending a religious service or gathering that reflects their family’s reverence practices. This firsthand experience not only strengthens familial bonds but also enhances the Scouts’ respect for their own faith’s rituals and ceremonies. Such participation plays a crucial role in helping them see the practical applications of the values they are learning about.
Additionally, the adventure tasks Scouts with performing acts of kindness and engaging in discussions about moral stories, such as “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” These activities are designed to instill virtues like honesty and integrity, which are foundational to all faith traditions. By reflecting on these stories and their actions, Wolves develop a deeper understanding of how their behaviors can embody the principles of their faith.
Overall, the Wolf Footsteps Adventure is about living one’s faith through actions and understanding. It prepares Wolf Cub Scouts to navigate the world with a reverent spirit that respects and honors the diverse traditions that enrich our lives.
Requirements for the Wolf Footsteps Adventure
Wolf Footsteps Adventure Requirements
This Adventure may be earned by completing the requirements below OR by completing a Religious Emblem of the Cub Scouts family’s choosing.
- With your parent or legal guardian talk about your family’s faith traditions. Identify three holidays or celebrations that are part of your family’s faith traditions. Make a craft or work of art of your favorite family’s faith tradition holiday or celebration.
- With your family, attend a religious service OR other gathering that shows how your family expresses reverence.
- Carry out an act of kindness.
- Listen to or read Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” With your den or family discuss why being truthful is important.
Printable requirements for the Wolf Footsteps Adventure
Check off sheet to keep track of your den’s progress on the Wolf Footsteps Adventure
Resources for the Wolf Footsteps Adventure
Crafting Traditions
With your parent or legal guardian talk about your family’s faith traditions. Identify three holidays or celebrations that are part of your family’s faith traditions. Make a craft or work of art of your favorite family’s faith tradition holiday or celebration.
Requirement 1 of the Wolf Footsteps Adventure encourages Wolf Cub Scouts to connect with their family’s faith traditions through conversation and creativity. This activity allows Scouts to explore the cultural and spiritual significance of their family’s holidays and celebrations.
- Family Discussion: Begin with a discussion led by a parent or guardian about the family’s faith traditions. Focus on understanding the history and significance of three specific holidays or celebrations. This conversation helps Scouts gain a deeper appreciation of their heritage.
- Creating Art: Choose one holiday from the discussion and create a related craft. For instance:
- If the holiday involves lighting candles, such as Diwali or Hanukkah, Scouts could make their own decorative candle holders.
- For a holiday like Christmas, they might create a nativity scene or a Christmas tree ornament.
- For Eid, Scouts could create crescent moon decorations or a model of a mosque.
- Sharing Crafts: Organize a session where Scouts can share the crafts they’ve made and explain the significance of the holiday it represents. This not only allows them to express their creativity but also encourages public speaking and enhances their understanding of their own projects.
- Cultural Exchange: Consider a den-wide activity where each Scout presents a craft from different faith traditions. This promotes inclusivity and broadens each Scout’s understanding of various cultural practices.
Here are some options for fulfilling Wolf Footsteps Adventure requirement 1:
- Holiday Mosaic
- Make a construction paper mosaic using your family’s favorite holiday tradition symbol.
- Supplies: colored paper, scissors, glue, pencil
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
- Sun Catcher
- Make a sun catcher of a holiday symbol that can be hung in your home.
- Supplies: black paper, colored tissue paper, clear contact paper, scissors, ribbon
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
This requirement helps Wolf Cub Scouts celebrate their family’s faith traditions in a personal and hands-on way, fostering a sense of pride and belonging while promoting respect and understanding for the diverse traditions of others.
Attending a Religious Service or Gathering
With your family, attend a religious service OR other gathering that shows how your family expresses reverence.
Requirement 2 of the Wolf Footsteps Adventure invites Wolf Cub Scouts to attend a religious service or a gathering that reflects how their family expresses reverence. This experience helps Scouts understand and appreciate the diverse ways in which faith and reverence are practiced within their own families and communities.
When it comes to handling faith requirements for Cub Scouts from agnostic or atheist families, open and honest communication is key. Engage in discussions about Wolf Footsteps with parents to understand their reservations and find ways to fulfill these requirements that align with their beliefs. Read more.
Here are some options for fulfilling Wolf Footsteps Adventure requirement 2:
- Attend a Religious Service
- Attend a religious service based on your family’s choosing.
- Supplies: none
- requires travel, very low energy, a week or more prep
- Let’s Celebrate Together
- Attend a celebration at your chartered partner based on a faith tradition.
- Supplies: Activity Consent Form
- requires travel, low energy, a week or more prep
Attending a religious service or gathering is a way for Wolf Scouts to connect with their family’s faith, understand the importance of reverence, and see how deeply these traditions are woven into their community. This requirement not only educates but also enriches the Scouts’ spiritual and cultural understanding.
Acts of Kindness
Carry out an act of kindness.
Requirement 3 of the Wolf Footsteps Adventure challenges Wolf Cub Scouts to carry out an act of kindness. This simple yet powerful activity encourages Scouts to contribute positively to their community and promotes empathy and compassion in their daily interactions.
- Neighborly Help: Encourage Scouts to help a neighbor with a simple task. This could be raking leaves, taking out the trash, or watering plants. Such acts not only help someone else but also build community bonds.
- Sharing Gratitude: Have Scouts write thank-you cards for community helpers such as teachers, firefighters, or police officers. This shows appreciation for those who work hard to keep their communities safe and educated.
- Library Assistance: Scouts can help organize books at a local library or participate in a library cleanup day. This not only assists the library but also promotes a love of reading and learning.
- Random Acts of Kindness: Encourage Scouts to perform random acts of kindness, such as leaving a nice note for someone, helping another student with school work, or sharing supplies with a peer who forgot theirs. Take a look these compliment cards coloring sheets.
Here are some options for fulfilling Wolf Footsteps Adventure requirement 3:
- Kindness Jar
- Create an act of kindness jar and complete at least two tasks in the jar.
- Supplies: jar, ribbons, stickers, paper, glue, large popsicle sticks, thin sharpie or pen
- indoor, low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
- Sing with the Elderly
- Sing a song at a retirement community.
- Supplies: Cub Scout Song Book, Activity Consent Form
- requires travel, low energy, a week or more prep
Carrying out these acts of kindness helps Wolf Scouts to see the direct impact of their actions on others’ happiness and well-being. It instills a lifelong habit of looking for ways to help and uplift those around them, reinforcing the Scouting principle of doing good deeds daily.
Learning Honesty
Listen to or read Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” With your den or family discuss why being truthful is important.
Requirement 4 of the Wolf Footsteps Adventure involves reading or listening to Aesop’s fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf. This timeless story provides a foundation for discussing the importance of honesty and the consequences of lying. It’s a powerful lesson in why truthfulness is crucial in maintaining trust within a community.
- Storytelling Session: Organize a reading session where either a leader or a family member reads the fable aloud. Use expressive voices and perhaps some illustrations to bring the story to life and make it more engaging for the Scouts.
- Honesty Poster: Let Scouts create posters that highlight the message of the story. They can use drawings, quotes, or write a motto that reminds them to always be truthful. Display these posters in your meeting area to reinforce the lesson.
Here is an option for fulfilling Wolf Footsteps Adventure requirement 4:
- Boy Who Cried Wolf
- Read aloud to your den Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”
- Supplies: Wolf handbook
- indoor, very low energy, 1 to 3 days prep
Using “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” as a learning tool not only teaches Wolf Scouts about the importance of honesty and also engages them in critical thinking about the effects of their actions on their relationships and community.
Before any activity, check the SAFE Checklist to make sure everyone is safe. Everyone involved in Scouting America activities should know the Guide to Safe Scouting and other relevant guides or books. Also follow any state or local rules that are more strict than Scouting America rules and guidelines.
Before starting a craft activity, watch the Craft Tips video.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Wolf Footsteps Adventure
What should we talk about regarding our family’s faith traditions?
Discuss what special holidays or celebrations your family observes and what they mean to you.
What can we do if we can’t attend a religious service?
You can participate in any gathering that shows reverence and respect for your family’s faith, such as watching a service online or participating in a family prayer.
What are some examples of acts of kindness we can do?
Simple acts like helping a neighbor, writing thank-you cards, or donating supplies to those in need are great ways to show kindness.
Why is the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” important?
It teaches us the importance of being truthful and the consequences of lying.
Steps to Reverence
The Wolf Footsteps Adventure guides Wolf Cub Scouts through activities that foster a deep respect for their own and others’ faith traditions. This journey not only reinforces the values shared across various cultures and religions but also promotes understanding and appreciation of diverse spiritual expressions.
The adventure begins with Scouts discussing their family’s faith traditions, identifying important holidays, and creating related crafts. This opens a window into personal heritage and the significance of family beliefs. Next, Scouts experience reverence firsthand by attending a religious service or gathering, enhancing their understanding of communal faith expressions and the importance of respect.
Scouts then engage in acts of kindness, learning that small, thoughtful actions can have a big impact on their community. This teaches them about the practical aspects of kindness and generosity. Additionally, by reading and discussing “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” Scouts explore the importance of honesty and trust, crucial values in every faith tradition.
The Wolf Footsteps Adventure helps Scouts develop a respectful awareness of the role that faith plays in their lives and in the lives of those around them. It builds a foundation for lifelong reverence and moral integrity.
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